Totani, squid and soft shelled crab - where is best ?
Hey all
Am in town next weekend ( from the UK ) but most likely night for seeking out great chow is Sunday.
Where is best for the above or a great fritto misto de pesce ? It doesnt have to be high end but it does need to have good vegetarian options too. Definitely nowhere pretentious or 'style' over content, please.
If we are looking at an Italian somewhere that does a good bottle of Falanghina would round the evening off nicely !
Have seen some comments about Daily Catch and would appreciate thoughts on that as a destination.
Have als seen Prezza mentioned - which looks entirely different - but the bottom line is that it all comes down to the food service wine and VFM.
There will be four of us so if you could say whether we need reservations at any place you recommend, that would be great. We are staying at the Lenox and are likely to be spending Sunday in Cambridge/ Harvard if that helps, also.
Thanks for any recs you can give.
-
For a basic old-school red sauce kind of place, Saraceno on Hanover St. in Boston's North End has a decent fritto misto, and very solid eggplant parm and other Italian-American veggie choices. It would be a low-key option if Nepture is too busy. The calamari app. is good, too, with a side of their excellent red sauce for dipping. The squid is nice and light, tender and not greasy. No ground-breaking cuisine here, but tasty and solid food.
-
Neptune Oyster in the North End has a Friday fritto misto special on their current menu. It is one of Boston's best seafood restaurants, and the fried clams are something you might not find back home, but they don't take reservations and don't have much for a vegetarian. If you find yourself in the North End at lunchtime with no line (or any other time) it can be a real treat.
The Daily Catch is good for calamari, but is very small, and vegetarian options may not exist.
Soft shelled crabs can be hard to find even in the spring season, but Chinatown seafood restaurants might be your best bet, and would have vegetarian options as well. 9lives is right, the frozen crabs are what you will find. I've heard there is a fall season, but I've never seen it up here.
Prezza might be a good choice for a party looking for vegetarian options. They take reservations, and the food and service should make for a very nice evening.
Atlantic Fish Company and the Summer Shack are close to your hotel and should have some fritto misto options, along with other choices. They are both part of larger restaurant chains, but should have some convenient local seafood. At the Summer Shack the chervil pan roasted lobster is a tasty specialty, and the fried clams are good, though otherwise the food can be uneven.
There is some great fritto misto in East Boston, but that may be more of a detour than you want on a short weekend. It is close to the airport.
If you like oysters, this is a nice time of year to check out the local varieties. Scallops will follow soon.
Fortunately, a google search should link you to on-line menus, which can be a bit out of date, but will give you some ideas.
Enjoy your weekend in the area!
-----
Peach Farm
4 Tyler St, Boston, MA 02111Neptune Oyster
63 Salem St Ste 1, Boston, MA 02113Summer Shack Boston
50 Dalton St., Boston, MA 02115Prezza
24 Fleet St., Boston, MA 02113Atlantic Fish Co
761 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116Daily Catch
323 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113›3 Replies -
